The Other Side
by AwkwardTurtle13
Summary: Everypony knows that King Sombra was an evil villain that for a period of time ruled over the Crystal Empire. But, what if there was a good reason for the things that he did? Just some ideas...
1. The Other Side

The Other Side

Those ponies…Who did they think they were, trying to ruin my plan? Ever since our first appearance, we had to fend off dragons. Our crystal coats would attract them and we had many a pony eaten by those vicious creatures. The only way I could think of to protect my people was to make them unhappy. This diminished their crystal coats into normal pony coats, causing less dragon attacks. It was a bittersweet deal, but I was willing to do anything for the good of my ponies.

Then, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna of course thought I was an evil tyrant and banished me away in the form of a shadow. While I was gone, I needed a way to continue defending my kingdom, so I made it vanish. This would keep my people alive and well until I could return.

When I was finally able to come back, Princess Celestia obviously had to find a way to take me out, yet again. But, my people were my top priority. I had to get into my kingdom, to help them before the dragons returned. Ironically, a baby dragon defeated me, just as I almost resumed control over my land.

Now, I spend my days worrying for my kingdom. Will they be able to fend off dragon attacks? Are the new rulers capable of such responsibility? Oh I'll be back. And I'll find a way to take back what's mine, no matter what the cost. You'll rue the day you messed with King Sombra and the safety of his kingdom.


	2. Deal

***Sorry everypony! I'm back. So, these are basically my ideas for how Season 3 will go. You've seen Trixie's mysterious necklace, haven't you? And you all saw King Sombra's horn flying out that last scene? Eeyup. Hope you enjoy!

Deal

I could feel my power somewhere. In shadow form I slithered across the ground, searching for my lost horn. Finally, reaching it, I noticed a blue unicorn trotting by bitterly. She would be perfect.

"You there," I boomed. She jumped.

"The Great and Powerful Trixie demands to know who thinks it is okay to bother her," the unicorn, Trixie, commanded.

"I am King Sombra, former ruler of the Crystal Empire," I introduced.

"_King_, hmm? What do you want?"

"I'm in need of some…assistance," I started.

"Continue," Trixie allowed.

"You see, there are a few ponies I need to wreck revenge on."

"Which ponies?"

"I believe Twilight Sparkle is her name, along with her comrades," I specified. Trixie lit up.

"Ooh, The Great and Powerful Trixie believes she can serve as some help. You see, she has a bit of a grudge against Miss Sparkle."

"Perfect. So, here's the plan," I whispered my ideas to her, which was rather awkward in my shadow form.

"Trixie approves of this."

"So, you'll aid me?"

"Of course. Although, The Great and Powerful Trixie cannot simply have a large shadow follow her everywhere," Trixie said.

"Yes, that would pose a problem, wouldn't it?"

"How about you transform your horn into a necklace; Trixie can use your magical power to help get the job done," Trixie suggested.

"Alright, and I'll follow your shadow to keep watch," I decided. "So, we have a deal?"

"Trixie believes we do."


	3. Back to Ponyville

Back to Ponyville

"Your magic gives Trixie much power…She likes this," Trixie said.

_Don't get used to it. It'll return to me as soon as I'm finished with you._

"I'm glad," I responded, following her shadow as to stay by her without looking suspicious. "So, what do you have against Sparkle?"

"The Great and Powerful Trixie would rather not discuss her motives."

I didn't want to discuss my true motives either, so I decided not to go further.

"So, why do you call yourself 'The Great and Powerful Trixie'? And why do you refer to yourself in the third person?"

"That's Trixie's business."

I said nothing. I mean, what do you say to that? We continued on the road to Ponyville.

"This is it," Trixie notified me after a while. She just stood there, staring at the town.

"Um, is everything alright?"

"Oh, sorry. Yes, it is," Trixie said, picking up her pace. I quickly followed behind.

"Behold! The Great and Powerful Trixie has returned!" Trixie bellowed, using her magic to burst colors and spin magical shapes around her. I guessed she was a performer.

Ponies stepped out of their homes to witness the arrival of this unicorn.

"The Great and Powerful Trixie demands audience with Twilight Sparkle and friends," Trixie commanded. The ponies pointed towards a tree with windows and a door.

"Now, be gone! All of you!" Trixie boomed. Everypony hesitated, but eventually they stepped back into their houses.

Trixie strutted over towards the tree-house. She knocked loudly. The door glowed pink and opened. At the door stood the mare we'd been looking for.

"Trixie?" Twilight asked.


	4. Magic Duel

Magic Duel

"Trixie?" Twilight asked, clearly surprised.

"Why yes, it's nice to see you remember," Trixie smirked. Twilight composed herself.

"Oh, I remember quite well. You had no chance against that Ursa Minor," Twilight shot. Ursa Minor? What was this about?

"Please, Sparkle, that's ancient history. The Great and Powerful Trixie has become even more potent since our last encounter," Trixie said cockily.

"Really? You seem to be the same boastful pony that came last time; however you appear to still have nothing to actually brag about," Twilight countered, stepping outside and closing the door behind her.

"Is that a challenge?" Trixie asked, raising her eyebrow.

"Maybe it is."

"Well then, The Great and Powerful Trixie challenges Twilight Sparkle to a duel, a Magic Duel," Trixie said, following the plan.

"Anytime, anywhere," Twilight said confidently. She'd lose that confidence soon enough.

"Tonight, town square, be there or be square," Trixie said, starting to walk off. She stopped and looked back at Twilight. "And to make things interesting, I dare you to invite your precious Princess."

"I will!" Twilight called as Trixie and I continued off.

"You did perfectly," I congratulated, pleased that things were going according to plan.

"I know," Trixie said. "Now, what shall Trixie do to prove she is the greatest unicorn in all of Equestria?"

"Just do your little tricks; those multiplied by my power should surely make you superior," I said, waving that issue aside.

"You do not understand, Sombra. Trixie did her 'little tricks' last time, and last time Sparkle outshined her. This will certainly not be easy," Trixie confessed, looking away. So that's what was wrong. With her arrogant personality, this probably really bothered her.

"I'll help you practice. Show me what you've got," I offered, trying to arouse her spirits. It was imperative for her to win this.

"Well, if you insist," Trixie said, standing up tall. She flashed me a smile and bright colors burst around her. Her necklace, which contained my magical power, glowed and the swirling colors expanded in size, creating a spectacular view. I sat there in awe. I had picked just the right unicorn.

She stopped and looked at me, looking amused.

"The Great and Powerful Trixie performed fabulously, did she not?"

"She did…I mean you did. I don't think we need to practice, that right there was perfection."

"Wonderful. Now, if you excuse Trixie, she needs to catch up on her beauty sleep. Make use of yourself and wake her up before the battle begins, alright?"

Make use of myself? My magic made her performance the spectacle it was. Oh, but I needed her so bad.

"As you wish, Trixie."

XXX

The battle was to begin soon. I nudged Trixie, which was rather awkward being a shadow. I hated this form.

"What?" she asked groggily.

"The battle?"

"Oh yes, but of course." She got up and we headed off to town square.

We arrived just as the sun set. Twilight was already there. A punctual mare, I noticed. Princess Celestia was there too, along with two strange looking ponies. I gave them no thought though, for tonight I needed to focus all of my attention on making sure Trixie won, no matter the cost.

"Glad you made it," Twilight said sarcastically.

"Likewise."

I looked around, there were stands put up with ponies filling up the rows. This would certainly be a sight to see.

"Before the battle begins, let's make this even more interesting," Trixie suggested.

"Alright, if I win, you must never return to Ponyville ever again, Trixie," Twilight said. The audience murmured to each other.

"Well, when Trixie wins, _you_ must leave Ponyville, forever," Trixie said, continuing on with the plan.

"Oh Twilight, don't do it," a pale yellow pony said, running up to Twilight.

"It's not worth it," a white pony with a curly purple mane continued.

"If I win this though, we'll never be bothered by Trixie again," Twilight countered.

"She does have a point," a country pony agreed.

"You have to win then," a blue pegasis insisted.

"Twilight can do it!" a bouncy pink pony exclaimed.

"Yeah! Twilight is the most powerful unicorn in all of Equestria!" a baby dragon said. My head hurt. This Sparkle character had way too many friends.

"We'll see," Trixie said, "Why don't you go first?"

"Watch and learn," Twilight said, heading to a little purple stage.

The purple unicorn burst in light and levitated up a bunch of little critters, moving them in a figure-eight. Princess Celestia and the two strange ponies seemed very impressed. _We can do better_. Suddenly, she changed all of the animals into oranges and began juggling them with her magic. I bit my lip. Twilight finished by changing all of the animals back to their original form, swirled them around her head, and sat them down by the pale yellow pony. The crowd erupted in applause.

"Try to beat that with your flashing lights and lies," Twilight spat quietly as she walked off the stage.

"With pleasure," Trixie whispered back.

"Behold! The Great and Powerful Trixie!"

Trixie performed exactly as she had done before. The crowd gasped and clapped louder than before. However, Sombra kept his eyes on Twilight. She was looking curiously at Trixie's necklace, which was glowing like it had previously.

I hoped she didn't catch on, for this would really ruin the plan. Once Trixie was done, she bowed and walked off the stage, me still following her shadow. Some ponies looked anxious. Princess Celestia spoke with the ponies next to her.

"It appears we have a winner. Trixie Lulamoon," Princess Celestia announced regrettably.

I heard crying and noticed most of Twilight's friends were crying, or close to tears.

"Of course Trixie is. Now, Sparkle, Trixie believes we had a deal," Trixie reminded.

"Let me just pack up my things," Twilight said, walking sadly to the tree-house. Her friends followed. The ponies in the stands looked disappointed too.

"Why the long faces everypony? Be glad, for The Great and Powerful Trixie is here to stay!"

Trixie wasn't very popular among these ponies apparently. Either that or everypony really liked Twilight. That made me dislike these ponies, but they too were a necessary element in my plan.

Eventually, Twilight finished her "packing" and headed out of Ponyville, her friends all crying. On her back was the baby dragon, crying as well. I smiled at their pain. Phase one, complete.


	5. Prepare for Battle

Prepare for Battle

"So, Sombra, why did you need The Great and Powerful Trixie to banish Twilight?" Trixie asked after all the other ponies had gone to sleep.

"Because, Twilight is a very powerful pony with connections. Take her out and you can pretty much take over the town."

"Why do you need to take over the town?"

"I need an army," I explained.

"An army?"

"To take back my kingdom of course," I said. I thought it was obvious. She was quiet for a moment, like she wanted to ask something but was too afraid. She finally opened her mouth.

"So…If you're a king, do you have a queen?"

That was a subject I did not wish to discuss.

"That, my dear Trixie, is _my_ business."

"Just wondering."

"Yeah well, I think I'm going to retire for the night. Sleep well, for tomorrow we prepare," I said, suddenly tired.

"Good night."

My sleep was a bit shaky, but it was enough to keep me alert the next day. Taking control of a town was not too easy after all.

"So, how is this going to work?" Trixie asked.

"Just listen to me. I'll tell you exactly what to do as we go along." I shrunk to be small enough to rest in her ear.

"Ugh, that feels weird," Trixie complained.

"Too bad, now go!"

Trixie marched into town. Following my command, she spoke up.

"Listen up everypony! We can do this the easy way or the hard way."

Ponies looked up from their activities, curious at Trixie's words.

"What do _you_ want?" the pegasis with the rainbow mane asked.

"Oh, Trixie just needs an army is all," Trixie said nonchalantly.

"Haven't you done enough?" the previously bouncy pink pony said. Her hair wasn't curly anymore, and she looked rather mad.

"I guess it'll be the hard way then," Trixie decided. She tapped into my magic and chained up everypony. The pegasi tried to fly away, but the weight of everypony chained to them kept them grounded. Trixie and I watched amused as they all struggled to free themselves from our grasp.

"Now, march northward, all of you!" Trixie bellowed.

"I think not," the white pony with purple curls said stubbornly.

Trixie slapped her.

"GO!"

"Hay! Ya'll can't do this!" the country pony protested. Trixie spit on her.

"Trixie can make this much worse, you know. I'd just listen before somepony _really_ gets hurt."

They all trudged up to the Crystal Empire. I grinned.

"My kingdom, I'll be there soon," I whispered in excitement.

XXX

The only pony not chained up was a feeble yellow pegasis by the name of Fluttershy. She had been out on a picnic with her animal friends when she saw the sky flash black for a moment. Curious as to what happened, and quite frightened, she snuck into town slowly as to not be seen.

She was shocked when she saw all her friends and the other residents in Ponyville chained up, with Trixie at the head.

"Now march northward, all of you!"

Northward…That probably meant the Crystal Empire! Fluttershy slipped out of town, grateful that she was so good at being unnoticed. She knew she had to warn somepony quick, before things got out of hoof.

When she was far enough away, she flew as fast as she could.

XXX

"Do you think we'll ever see them again?" the baby dragon named Spike asked.

"I don't know…" Twilight mumbled. She was trying to stay strong for her number one assistant. He was like a little brother, and that was someone you just couldn't break down in front of.

"Where are we going to go now?"

"The Crystal Empire. Surely my brother Shining Armor and his wife Princess Cadance will let us stay with them," Twilight replied.

"Good idea. Plus, Rarity would come to visit a lot probably. She loves that place," Spike said, thinking about his crush.

Twilight just rolled her eyes. Suddenly, Twilight saw a yellow and pink blob flying above her.

"Fluttershy?"

"Twilight?" Fluttershy stopped and looked back at her friend. "Twilight!" Fluttershy pulled Spike and Twilight into a hug.

"What's up?" Spike asked.

"I'll tell you on the way," Fluttershy said, continuing on.

Twilight and Spike followed Fluttershy as she recalled what she witnessed.

"Well, what are we waiting for? We've got to get to the Crystal Empire immediately!"

The three hurried. It took some time, but eventually they got to the kingdom. Not wanted to take a break, even though they were out of breath, they ran straight to the castle.

The doors burst open and the three ran into the throne room.

"Twily?" Shining Armor asked, clearly surprised at his little sister's arrival.

"Shining Armor, Cadance, it appears we have some trouble," Twilight said. She explained to them what Fluttershy had said.

"Prepare the troops!" Cadance commanded, sending out a few of her guards. "Prepare for battle…"


	6. The Crystal Empire Strikes Back

The Crystal Empire Strikes Back

We stood just outside the Crystal Empire.

"Sombra, Trixie has found a blemish in your otherwise _perfect_ plan," Trixie said.

"And what would that be?" I asked skeptically.

"Just because everypony is chained up does not mean that they will fight," Trixie pointed out.

"Well obviously. Cast a spell to make them obey your every demand. That's how I kept my kingdom in order," I said. It was evident, was it not?

"The Great and Powerful Trixie cannot just cast a spell to do so. How does one accomplish such a task?" she asked.

"Just do it!" I responded, losing patience.

"Fine, whatever you say, your _Highness_," Trixie spat. She channeled into my magical power and a burst of red magic shot from her horn. Immediately everypony's eyes glossed over and they took the persona equivalent of a zombie.

"Not so hard, huh?" I asked smugly.

"Be quiet, will you?" Trixie said angrily. "Now, I'll just unchain everypony." Her magic—my magic—flashed through the area yet again and the chains disappeared.

"Excellent, things are going according to plan," I said.

"Only because of Trixie. Now, everypony, Trixie wants you to march on in there and fight anyone who opposes you. Is that clear?" Trixie asked. Everyone nodded and mumbled a "yes". Then, they started walking through the magical barrier surrounding the Crystal Empire, even those pesky friends of Twilight.

Trixie started to head for the shield to make sure things flowed smoothly. I stopped her.

"Trixie, I cannot enter with you. The shield keeps me out, so just win, alright?" I whispered.

Trixie looked surprised, but she nodded slightly, looking determined. I left Trixie's ear and grew in size.

"Good luck, Trixie. May your greatness and power show," I say, humoring her. She blushed for a moment.

"It will," Trixie said confidently, striding through the force shield. I watched from outside. Things were starting off well; my army was marching down the streets. Then, I noticed that another army was marching from behind the castle. So, they were prepared…This was a bit of a setback.

"Trixie, you've got to win this," I mumbled under my breath. I watched as the two forces clashed. The opposing power looked like they didn't want to hurt these ponies, which were clearly normal civilians being forced to battle. However, my army didn't mind one bit. They fought with a vigor to make any tyrant proud. Not that I was one, of course.

Suddenly, I saw Twilight running through the crowd. I watched intently, starting to worry. What was that she was doing? Wait…no this couldn't be! She was performing an undo spell of sorts, perhaps a memory spell? Whatever it was, her friends were coming back to their senses.

"TRIXIE ORDERS YOU TO FIGHT!" Trixie shouted. Some ponies started to move towards the friends to attack.

"Not anymore!" Twilight shouted. She then levitated out the Elements of Harmony. Buck. I so badly just wanted to get in there but I was stuck out here. Unless…

I dove into the ground. It was an uncomfortable sensation, but bearable. I made it out to the other side.

"Those won't be necessary," I said coolly, moving toward the girls.

"S-Sombra?" Twilight asked, taken aback. "I thought that this was Trixie's doing."

"Ah, in that you are wrong. Trixie is just my henchpony. I'm the mastermind behind this whole operation," I revealed.

"Henchpony?" Trixie asked furiously.

"B-but, why?" the yellow pony with pink hair asked. I didn't bother learning her name.

"My kingdom, we've always been threatened with dragon attacks; I was just trying to protect them. However, you took me away from my throne, making me unable to watch over my ponies. So of course, I needed to take it back," I explained.

"You were trying to protect them? You realize you just attacked your former kingdom with innocent ponies you brought together by force, which endangers not only your former subjects but also the lives of your 'army'," Twilight said.

"That is just a trivial matter in which I honestly could care less about, so long as in the long term my kingdom remains dragon-free and safe," I replied.

"Just a _trivial matter_?!" Twilight asked. "My friends could've been seriously hurt!"

"Does it look like I care?" I countered. She glared at me and looked like she was ready to just blast away at the next thing that ticked her off. I turned back and looked at Trixie, who was trying to get away. I rushed forward and blocked her path.

"Look, Trixie has better things to do than awaiting her own self-destruction. Take your stupid magic." Trixie threw the necklace at me and tried to move around me.

My magical power surged through me. I felt cheated that she was trying to escape, but then again I was going to do the same to Trixie—except take my power back of course.

"Oh no you don't!"

Trixie was magically teleported back and held in place.

I moved my eyes from Trixie to the source of the magic. Twilight and the others were charging at us.

"Shall we show this brute and selfish mare what the power of friendship really can do?" the white pony asked.

"Hmm, Princess Cadance, what do you think?" Twilight asked.

"Oh, I'd say give them everything you've got," the Princess said. "Honey?"

"I think that is a fair punishment." The response was from the new prince, Shining Armor.

"Then it's settled. Come on girls," Twilight said. She concentrated on her magic, and soon a swirl of rainbow formed.

I looked over at Trixie and gulped.


	7. Punishment

Punishment

Twilight and her friends shot the rainbow at us, encompassing us both. I cried out as the splitting pain spread throughout my being. It was as if every part of me was being torn apart. But, as soon as the ache started, it stopped. I opened my eyes and found I was in a place that looked like Everfree Forest.

"How did we get here?" I asked, rubbing my head.

"Probably from the Elements…" Trixie suggested, standing up slowly. "Wait, what is this?"

We were inside a giant cage. The cage was the color of each of the Elements, so I assumed that this was the fate those blasted stones decided. It could have been worse though, I could be imprisoned in stone like that loser Discord.

"Well, this isn't too bad. We can just break out and—" I was cut off by the sound of an angry roar. I turned to see a manticore in the cage with us. It was probably unfortunate enough to get caught in with the magic.

"Quickly! Break a way out!" Trixie cried. I touched one of the rods with my shadow hoof, but immediately I was shocked.

"It's no good, we're stuck," I said.

"This is just great, now Trixie is not only stuck in a cage with a creature that can hardly be called royalty, but with a vicious monster too," she muttered.

"Well boo-hoo. I'm stuck with an egotistic mare that has nothing to be proud of in the first place," I retorted.

Our banter was soon cut short as the manticore lunged at us. We hurried around the cage and the manticore went face first into the electrifying bars surrounding the cage.

"At least he's gone now," Trixie said weakly.

"Shut up."

My plan had utterly failed and I was stuck in this cage for who knew how long. I sighed at my fate. Well, at least I knew that my kingdom was able to protect itself just fine, which is all I needed.

***Sorry for the rather short ending. I hope you enjoyed it and I'd just like to thank all those who reviewed, NovemberxDashiexMoulinRouge, Shadow the Ranger, xXSleeptrainXx, Carmel Pinkie Ph, WildCroconaw, Milo Cloudrunner, TheSnarkKnight30, and Draconequus. Also, thank you my followers xXSleeptrainXx, Shadow the Ranger, and Martini1x. I can't forget to mention those who favorited my story too, which are Shadow the Ranger and Martini1x. And of course, thank you reader, for reading. It'd be pretty pointless without you. Thank you.


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